Unaf f iliated voter fraud

Unaffiliated voters in Colorado got their wish granted — they can finally participate in a party’s primary by voting for a candidate to represent that party despite not even being a part of the party. God forbid they pay attention like the rest of us intelligent voters and simply become a member of a party if they wish to have any say within it. But no, now the county must send more than one party’s primary ballot on a silver platter and remind the voter (four times) to only vote in one party’s primary. So far, more than 600 voters in El Paso County have returned more than one party’s ballot, thereby invalidating each of them. Last I checked, placing two votes in an election is voter fraud. Trying to claim ignorance is a tough argument.

Ryan Jones

Colorado Springs

Where is mercy these days?

We reap what we sow! Separating young children from their parents at the border will result in predictable and unfixable changes to the mental health of these little ones. Mental health professionals, educated and experienced in the treatment of trauma, know this. It is obvious to many citizens of the United States, patriots all, that there are a number of persons in our government, all of whom are white, old, overweight, who know nothing whatsoever about child and family development.

If they ever knew the history of WWII, the internment camps particularly, they aren’t showing it. Many of these persons interpret “rule of law” according to their own beliefs, supported by chapter 13 in Romans in the Bible. Here is another verse from that same chapter: “Love worketh no ill to his neighbor: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.” I just cherry-picked a passage that supports my own beliefs; it is easy to do.

Clearly, many of our leaders believe in law and justice, untempered by any sort of love. Shakespeare captured the other point of view, in Merchant of Venice, when Portia, the lawyer, defending her client, says: “The quality of mercy is not strained, it droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven, upon the place beneath: it is twice blessed; it blesseth him that gives (mercy) and him that takes (mercy).” Where is “mercy” these days? Clearly not in Congress.

Myrna J. Kruckeberg

Colorado Springs

Separating families sends a message

To Colorado’s Senators: It is unbelievable how you and other senators are allowing this president and his administration to defy the basic values to which this country was founded. The immigration of people entering this country from all creeds, religions and nationalities has been what this country has always stood for.

Now we have a president and Department of Justice using the Bible to lock up and take children away from their parents trying to get asylum.

The people (immigrants) that are trying to come to this land are the ones looking for a better life for themselves and their families; like millions have done before for lesser reasons. Why are you allowing this type of conduct? You’re in a position to help these people, and you do nothing? Where is your value of human life? Why are you and other senators kicking them to the curb because you’re afraid of President Donald Trump?

Trump blames the Democrats for the new policy of destroying families to send a message that if you come to the U.S. looking for asylum, we will rip your family apart and we don’t care about anyone but the whites. How can Trump blame Democrats when Republicans hold Congress and the White House? Even Trump knows it’s wrong. Even the United Nations is condemning separating families. But the House and Senate aren’t. It’s going to get worse because may be children dying when they are housed in the heat in tents in Texas, but that wouldn’t matter to Trump and Sessions; there sending their message.

Thomas J. Horton

Colorado Springs

Opposing Initiative 97

I would like to express my thanks to the Gazette Editorial Board in speaking out against Initiative 97, a proposed extreme ballot measure designed to kill the oil and gas industry in Colorado. If you are asked to sign a petition to get Initiative 97 on the ballot, please refuse to sign it. The presumed goal of these extremists is to stop oil and gas production but Initiative 97 will do no such thing. It will only move production elsewhere and help countries like China, a massive polluter from fossil fuel consumption, keep and grow their environmentally destructive manufacturing base. These environmentalists should be supporting growth in the oil and gas industry within the U.S. We are the most responsible consumer of fossil fuels on the planet, and the only country that has actually met the pollution reduction conditions of the Kyoto Protocol despite refusing to sign this treaty.

Stan VanderWerf

Colorado Springs

Red light cams don’t help

Re: The anticipated return of red-light cameras.

I recently came across some statistics that may be worth considering, as reported by the Newsday paper of New York’s Suffolk County. Suffolk County has twice the population of El Paso County. The recently released statistics covered the county’s 100 camera-equipped intersections and compared 2016 to the three most recent non-camera years.

They found there was a 35 percent increase in rear-end collisions in the intersections with cameras a 1.5 percent increase in all types of accidents. There was a 1.5 percent decline in accidents with injuries and a 23 percent decrease in T-bone accidents. The cameras generated over $30 million in revenue to the county via about 350,000 fines.

It has been said that cameras will “increase public safety”, reduce T-bone accidents, and reduce workload on police, freeing them to respond to more pressing calls. It appears that the increase in both rear-enders and total number of accidents increased police workloads instead. The small decline in accidents with injuries and the reduction in T-bones bear a closer look with actual numbers. If the declines are a small number of events, they may vary widely from year to year with some years increasing and some decreasing.

H. Wayne Hall

Colorado Springs